Torontonians mark anniversary of Oct. 7 attack, aftermath

One year ago, Toronto resident Aharon Brodutch's sister-in-law, Hagar, and her three children were taken from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel when the Hamas militant group that rules the Gaza Strip launched the deadliest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust.

The family was released seven weeks later as part of a series of hostage-prisoner exchanges, but the trauma from the harrowing experience still haunts them.

"It's tough and, unfortunately, they continue living this because, you know, it hasn't ended," Brodutch told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday.

"There's still a war going on, and there are still hostages there and it's weighing on them."

Brodutch is among many in Toronto, and across the world, marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed more than 1,200 people and saw 250 people taken hostage, 70 of whom have since died, according to Israeli media. 

The attack initiated the latest conflagration in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a violent year, in which the Israeli government responded to the attacks with a ground invasion and relentless bombing campaign that has killed tens of thousands Palestinian people in Gaza.

Mirvat Alshrafi, a Palestinian mother of four who lives in Aurora, approximately 50 kilometres north of Toronto, said her mother, her four sisters and their five children have been staying in shelters in different parts of Gaza, after their home was bombed last October.

Alshrafi said she regularly wakes up in the middle of the night out of fear they may have been injured or killed by an Israeli bomb.

"I have my normal life here, but we can't live our life normally," she said. "It's too difficult to witness all the kids' deaths and the people's deaths and to live with the thought of whether my family will be the next one."

The Oct. 7 attack has prompted grief and fury among many, and its effects have rippled out far beyond the Middle East. Over the past year in Toronto, countless families have grieved loved ones who were killed, hundreds of protests have resulted in arrests, pro-Palestinian encampments took over university campuses — and police have reported a spike in reports of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims.

Jewish groups in Toronto are holding events Monday to mourn people wounded, killed and kidnapped in the Hamas attack and to call for the release of the remaining hostages still in captivity. 

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian groups are planning demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinian people and against the ongoing Israeli military operation, one that has since spread to Lebanon.

Last week, Toronto and other area police services announced plans to step up protections in Jewish neighbourhoods and at mosques in light of the anniversary.

The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto is hosting a memorial in the evening that will include remarks, performances, a candle-lighting ceremony, photo exhibit and art display.